Calorific radiation detonator



Nov. 10, 1936. J. H. HAMMOND. JR

CALOR IFIG RADIATION DETONATOR Filed Jan. 5, 1934 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

The invention relates to ordnance devices and more particularly to torpedoes.

According to one form of the invention, a torpedo may be provided with radiation sensitive devices which control the detonation of the explosive charge thereof when it passes beneath a ship. The torpedo mechanism may include a heat sensitive device and a light sensitive device. The heat sensitive device may be arranged to control the detonation of the war head of the torpedo. The light sensitive device may govern thecontrol exercised by the heat sensitive device. The invention also may provide a means whereby the detonation of the war head of the torpedo is delayed a predetermined time after the light sensitive means had passed into the shadow of the ship in order to allow the explosion to occur near the central portion of the vessel, where it would be most effective, rather than at the so called blister where it would be comparatively ineffective.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying draw-. ing forming a part thereof, in which:

The single figure of the drawing represents diagrammatically the' forward portion of a torpedo provided with this invention.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring to the accompanying drawing there is shown a waterborne body such as a carrier of explosives having a water tight torpedo hull 9, and arranged to be propelled in the usual manner by propellers located at the after end. The hull 9. is provided with two transverse bulkheads II and I2, thus providing two compartments l3 and M, the former being filled with an explosive charge l5, such for example as TNT.

A hole is provided in the hull 9 t the top V of the compartment M. This hole is covered by a sheet of glass or other transparent material l6. Mounted in a time I! is a lens 13 which is positioned directly below the hole in the hull.

The interior of the tube I1 is painted a flat black so as not to reflect any light. Positioned at the focus of the lens I8 is a photoelectric cell l9 which is connected to two brushes 20 and 2| which engage a commutator 22 which is made 5 up to two conducting segments 23 and 25. The commutator is driven at any suitable speed by means of a motor 26 which is energized bya battery 21 and controlled by a switch 28. Engaging the commutator 22 are two other brushes 10 29 and 30 which are connected through a transformer 3| to the input circuit of an amplifier 32 the output circuit of which is connected to the winding of a relay 33. The photoelectric cell l9 may be of the new type developed by the 15 Weston Instrument Company which does not require the use of a battery for its operation. Amplifier 32 is so biased as to have detecting characteristics.

A second hole is provided in a hull 9 at the 20 top of the compartment M. This hole is covered by a sheet of glass 35 or other material transparent to heat rays. Mounted in a tube. 36 is a lens 3'! which is also made of material transparent to heat rays and is positioned directly be- 25 low the hole in the hull. A filter 38 is positioned in the tube 33 and is composed of material which transmits only the desired heat rays, such for example as hard rubber or a special type of glass. Positioned at the focus of the lens 31 is a heat 30 sensitive element such as a thermopile or a bolometer 39. This element is connected to two brushes 40 and II whichengage a commutator 42 which comprises two segments of conducting material 43 and 44. be driven from the shaft of the motor 26 or if desiredmay be driven by a separate motor at a different speed. Engaging the commutator 42' are two other brushes 43 and 41 which are connected through a transformer 48 to the input 40 circuit of an amplifier 49 the output circuit of which includes a relay 50 and a back contact of the relay 33. Amplifier 48 is so biased as to have detecting characteristics.

A clock-work mechanism 5| is provided which drives a commutator 52. This commutator is provided with a conducting segment 53. To. the shaft of the commutator is secured an arm 55 which normally engages a pin 56. A second pin 51 is provided for limiting the motion of the arm 55 and the commutator 52.-

Engaging the. commutator 52 are four brushes 58, 59, and GI. The brush 58 is connected through a battery 52 to. one side of a solenoid -63 the other side of which is connected to the 5 This commutator may also 35 armature of the relay 50. The back contact of this relay is connected to the brush 59. l

The solenoid 63 isprovided with a core 66 which is adapted to be moved to the left when this solenoid is energized. Secured to one end of this core is a piston 61 which reciprocates in a cylinder 68. This cylinder is provided with a port 69 covered by a flap valve 10, which is adapt ed to allow the air to escape rapidly from this cylinder. The cylinder is also provided with a port 1| the opening in which is controlled by a needle valve 12, for restricting the fiow of air. through this port.

. To the other end of the core 66 is secured an insulating member 15 between which and the solenoid 63 is mounted a compression spring I6. Mounted on the insulating member 15 is 'a contact 11 which is connected to the contact .6! and at suitable times engages a conducting seg-, ment 18 mounted on an insulating base 19. The segment 18 is connected to one side of a detonator 80, the other side of which is connected to the contact 60 through a'battery 8|.

For automatically starting the clock-work mechanism 5| a heavy weight 82 is secured to the end of a fiat spring 83 the upper end of which is fastened to the casing of the clock-work mechanism 5|. Theweight 82 is provided with a projection 84 which normally engages a finger 85 which controls the starting of the clock-work mechanism. Engaging the end of the finger 85 is a spring 86 which is supported on a bracket 81.

In the operation of this system when the torpede is fired the inertia of the weight 82 causes it to be moved backward relative to the torpedo thus disengaging the projection 84 from the finger 85 which is moved upwardly 'under the action of the spring 86, thus causing the clock-work mechanism to start turning the commutator 52 at a predetermined speed. After a predetermined interval of time, the segment 53 of the commutator 52 will engage the brushes 58 and 59, thus energizing the solenoid 63 which will cause the core 66 to be moved rapidly to the left as. theair in the cylinder 68 is freely exhausted through the port 69. The contact ll is-moved off the segment 18 thus. keeping the circuit of the detonator 80 open. If'the torpedo is running in' daylight by the time this occurs the relay 33' will be energized due to the light received by the photoelectric cell I 9 the output of which has been converted to alternating current by means of the commutator 22, and amplified by the amplifier 32, the output of which energized the relay 33. This will open the circuit through the relay 50, thus making it ineifective.

This condition will continue as long as light is received by the photoelectric cell I9. When the torpedo passes beneath the hull of an enemy vessel, however, this light will be out 01f, thus deenergizing the relay 33, which will then put the relay 50 in an operative condition. As the torpedo passes beneath the hull of a ship heat rays from this vessel will be received by the heat sensitve element 39 the output from which will be converted into alternating current by the commutator 42 and amplified by the amplifier 49,

thus energizing the relay 58.

This will cause the deenergization of the gage thesegment 18, thus closing the circuit from the battery 8| to the detonator at which is detonated, thereby exploding the charge of explosive l5 in the warhead of the torpedo. This explosion will take place directly under the center of the ship as the mechanism has been so timed that it will give the torpedo a sufiicient time to reach a position under the center of the ship, thus insuring the destruction of the enemy vessel.

An important advantage of this system of running torpedoes at considerably greater depthsthan are now used is the fact that at these depths the wakes are much farther behind the torpedoes when they come to the surface due to the longer time it takes the bubbles of air to rise to the surface and that the Wakes are much less conspicuous due to the fact that the air has had a longer time to become diifused in the water. It is, therefore, much more diflicult to observe and locate these torpedoes than those run at presentday depths.

Although only a few of the various forms in which this invention may be embodied have been shown herein, it is to be understood that the invention is .not limited to any specific construction, but might be' embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a moving body, an explosive charge, means fordetonating said charge, a heat sensitive device for operating said detonating means and a light sensitive device for controlling the operation of said heat sensitive device so that when the light sensitive device is illuminated it will prevent the operation of the heat sensitive device.

2. In a moving body, an explosive charge, means for detonating said charge, a heat sensitive device for operating said detonating means and a light sensitive device for controlling the operation of said heat sensitive device so that when the light sensitive device is illuminated it will prevent the operation of the heat sensitive device, and when the light sensitive device is not illuminated it will permit the operation of the heat sensitive device so that when it receives heat it will cause the detonation of the explosive charge.

3. In a moving body, an explosive charge, means for detonating said charge, a heat sensitive device for operating said detonating means so that when sensitive means for preventing the operation of said heat sensitive means as long as said light sensitive means is illuminated.

4. In a moving body, an explosive charge, a detonator for said charge, a photoelectric cell, a thermopile, means operated by said thermopile for causing the detonation of said explosive charge, and means operated by said photoelectric cell for preventing the explosion of said charge while said cell is illuminated.

5.. In a moving body, an explosive charge, a detonator for said charge, a photoelectric cell, a bolometer, means operated by said b'olometer for causing the detonation of said explosive charge, and means operated by said photoelectric cell for preventing the explosion of said charge while said cell is illuminated.

6. In a torpedo, an explosive charge, a heat sensitive device, means responsive to a change in the intensity of heat received by said device to detonate said charge, a light sensitive device and means to disable said heat sensitive device responsive to said light sensitive device.

7. The method of maneuvering a submarine torpedo which comprises running said torpedo at a substantial depth below the surface of the water and utilizing the heat waves transmitted to detonate the explosive charge in response to- 15 the heat thus received from the bottom of said ship when the torpedo passes thereunder, whereby the charge is caused to explode when the torpedo is underneath the ship.

9. In a torpedo, an explosive charge, means to cause the torpedo to pass underneath the hull of an enemy ship, a thermocouple in said torpedo, means to focus radiant heat waves from directly above said torpedo onto said thermocouple, and means responsive to variations in heat received by said thermocouple caused by passage of the torpedo beneath the hull of the enemy ship for causing detonation of said charge, whereby the charge is detonated when the torpedo is beneath the ship.

JOHN HAYS HAMMOND. JR. 

